


Going the Distance

by GuyOfShy



Series: Scatterings of White Roses and Sightings of Bumblebees [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: A poor attempt at humor, Bumblebee/by - Freeform, F/F, I think I'm doing this right, White Rose - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-30
Updated: 2014-11-10
Packaged: 2018-02-23 07:37:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2539697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuyOfShy/pseuds/GuyOfShy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leaving feelings unaddressed often makes one anxious, and everyone seems to have done just that. Bonds have grown close since Team RWBY's formation, but how much closer can they get?</p><p>Some more White Rose and Bumblebee stuff for you, with White Rose a bit on the stressed-out side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Going the Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nearly a year has passed for Team RWBY, and conflict with the White Fang and related opposition has, for the most part, ceased. With even more time to themselves, a few have begun to question just how much their teammates mean to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter involves a bump in the night, and an attempt at humor, by myself: your glorious author, and the members of Team RWBY. After reading this you’ll be able to tell that I’m not a funny person.
> 
> *cringes while he waits for tomatoes to be thrown onstage*

When Weiss opened her eyes from her peaceful slumber, she expected a serene view of the rising sun and a gentle breeze through the window, inviting her to peacefully begin the day’s activities.

She received a healthy dose of disappointment. The room was pitch black, with a freezing air blowing through courtesy of the AC, that chilled even the Ice Queen her right to her core. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. 4:16. She sighed in defeat, and searched for the source of the noise that woke her.

A nasty creak rattled in her ears. It didn’t sound like a door, or a sound produced by a voice, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. After listening carefully, she found it wasn’t on Blake and Yang’s side of the room, so it was definitely near her. Weiss peeked under her bed as the creaking sounded off again, unable to comprehend how Ruby couldn’t be waking up from such a horrifyingly obnoxious noise.

‘ _How in the world could Ruby not... Ruby!_ ’ Weiss realized what the sound was and dreaded what was about to happen.

She looked up to find the ropes holding up Ruby’s makeshift bunk bed snapping. The flimsy ropes gave way and the bed came down just as Weiss rolled out of her own and hastily created a glyph under it, suspending it in the air. She maintained it long enough for her to grab Ruby, and then the bed fell with an enormous crash that forced a cringe from her. Weiss tumbled onto the floor, the sweet, soft, safe floor, with Ruby securely tucked in her arms.

Another loud thud from behind made Weiss' heart skip a beat. Yang had fallen out of her bed with a yelp, as Blake jolted from her sleep, ears twitching.

Yang quickly recovered, jumping up and pointing her finger at Weiss with such intensity and so emblazoned with anger she thought a hole would be shot through her. The flame that was slowly gathering at the end made her realize that that turn of events wasn't far off.

“What the HECK is going on here Weiss?! Hey, paws off my sister!”

Weiss' jaw dropped. That brusque blonde, always jumping to conclusions without a second thought... Holding Ruby’s still-sleeping body princess-style, Weiss shook her for emphasis. "I JUST SAVED HER LIFE!”

Blake, calm as always, asked, “Weiss, care to tell us what exactly what... happened?” She was currently surveying the damage, which consisted of two smashed beds and snapped ropes haphazardly lying around.

Yang crossed her arms, not caring that she was yelling. “Yeah! Want to tell us exactly what… _went down?_ ”

Weiss grit her teeth with a glare and rattled Ruby in her arms toward Yang. She was not in the mood for her games. “Now, is not, the time. And hey, it’s not my fault! It was your dunce-of-a-sister’s idea to have these bunks! The ropes supporting hers snapped and nearly crushed me flat!”

"Alright, easy! Don't get all angsty just because you woke up on the wrong side of the bed. And the worst part is, I'm not getting my beauty sleep. Well, not that I need it anyway, am I right?" Yang tossed her golden locks over her shoulder, earning a sigh from Weiss. 

Ruby squirmed in her savior’s arms. Amidst the bickering shouts, she mumbled, “W-Wait, but Princess Cookie can’t, can’t I have one more? I saved you, just lemme have, one more cookie please?" Ruby soon opened her eyes and rubbed them tiredly, finally deciding to wake up. She almost fell out of Weiss’ arms when she realized she was in them, unaware of how her life was in danger just moments ago. 

“We-Weiss! Why are you holding me? Why are you all awake?” She turned her head left and right, trying to understand what was going on, when she gasped at the sight of the broken beds. “AAAH! MY BUNK! MY PRECIOUS COOKIES!”

Silence. Perplexion. Curiousity. The other three girls looked dumbfounded. Weiss was worked up enough already, but that… It was too much. Her frustration quickly broke down into an odd mix of anxiety and relief.

With a sigh, she told the tale. “Okay Ruby, I’m carrying you because your bunk snapped, but luckily I was awake so I wasn’t FLATTENED! There was an _extremely_ loud crash, so Yang, Blake, and I’m sure anyone else inhabiting this building are awake as well. Now my question to you is what does this whole fiasco have to do with your precious cookies?”

“Well… I may or may not have stashed away a bunch of sweets under my mattress so you guys wouldn’t find out.” Weiss saw the guilt on her face, clearly fixated on her poor cookies being lost, but it was just such a cute look. “But thank you for, you know, saving me and all Weiss! I’m sorry!”

Weiss sighed again after chuckling about the cookies. “It’s fine, no one was hurt, miraculously. What this does mean though is that we have to replace the beds, get rid of your crushed cookies, and probably bake some more with you.”

“Really?! Let’s go make them now!” Ruby threw her arms up in the air, gleaming with excitement, ready to avenge her fallen soldiers after they had been blown up on the field.

However, Blake decided to chime in and halt her plans for the moment. “Ruby, did you not notice what time it is yet? Look out the window.” She motioned towards the world outside, that was currently blanketed in dusk and early-morning dew.

She glanced out at the darkness, and looked back at Blake completely unfazed. “Your point being?” Her short series of blinks only further illustrated her innocence, with a hint of obliviousness.

Weiss did not understand where the charisma of this girl came from. At this point, she would’ve slapped anyone else who would’ve said that in this situation. “We can’t go bake cookies at 4:20 in the morning Ruby.”

Yang quietly snickered behind her, prompting a raised eyebrow from Weiss and Blake.

Ruby continued to fight for her cause. "Well why not?" She didn't really see an issue with the time, and after all, they didn't have classes tomorrow.

Weiss' response was just filled to the brim with sarcasm. “I’m _sure_ if our dysfunctional little group went to go and just, just bake at 4:20 in-"

Yang scoffed, and all eyes turned to her, who only shrugged her shoulders in response. “What? It’s 4:20! Gotta respect in the AM and the PM!”

"...-If our dysfunctional little group went to go and _just bake_ cookies this early in the morning we’d risk blowing off our limbs and a hole through the Academy.”

Ruby looked up with a frown. “So Princess Cookie wouldn’t give me one and now my Princess won’t gimme any? Doesn't seem fair. I DEMAND A RECOUNT!"

"THERE WAS NO VOTING!"

Wait, wait just a moment.

Did Weiss hear that right? ‘ _Her Princess? And for what reason am I her Princess? I haven’t done anything. Why am I blushing?! Confound you Ruby!_ ’ She looked away so Blake and Yang wouldn’t see, but couldn’t come up with anything to ward off the looming threat of Yang saying _something_. Weiss nervously sputtered out, “Ruby, it was just a dream.”

Yang finally decided to enter the fray, much to Weiss’ dread.

“The Ice _Princess_ , my liege, would you two like a moment of _privacy?_ ”

Weiss glared at her, but it didn’t faze Yang or the evil grin plastered across her face. Weiss had been holding her princess-style in her arms for a good three or four minutes, she was being complimented, she was being hailed as Ruby's Princess. Yang had all the tools she needed to sprinkle a bit of misery around. Blake smiled along at the amusement, and awkward silence filled the room as they all patiently stared at Weiss and awaited her coveted reaction.

She quickly flipped Ruby onto her feet, turning to face the two and attempted to escape embarrassment, irritation filling her voice.

“Yang, for the love of Dust, it’s not like that!”

The blonde only snickered, which irritated Weiss even further.

The innocent victim continued to plead her case, but as she was going through it, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to argue against it. In fact, she found herself _not_ wanting to argue against it. Having Ruby in her arms felt... comfortable. Did she want it to be like that? Like-

She cut herself off, realizing what she was imagining. ‘ _Oh boy, it’s getting worse. In fact, it’s incidents like these involving Ruby that make me feel like... this._ ’ A mental sigh allowed her to drop that subject for the time being and get her priorities straight. ‘ _One thing at a time Weiss. Escape judgement._ ’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I uh... I don’t know. I don’t have anything significant to say about this one other than the fact that it’s the first one that breaks off from the show, and other than that I'm so sorry for that 420 thing. Ray has really been having an effect on me.
> 
> Thanks to all of you for reading! If you’d please, drop a comment full of response and criticism; it really helps me focus on things I need to work on, and it only makes the future chapters better.


	2. Diplomacy at its Finest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If there was such a thing as pre-diplomacy, this is it. This chapter wraps up the events of the last annnnnnnnd yeah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry for the delay on this one :( I was pretty busy with school and couldn't devote much time to writing until the end of the week. BUT IT'S FINALLY HERE!
> 
> (acts as if people were waiting)

Team RWBY decided with concerned eyes and a collective sigh that it would be in their best interests to go back to sleep already. After surveying the damage and discussing their options, they chose to pair up and each pair would share one of Blake’s and Yang’s beds. Blake rather hastily took the initiative and opted to bunk with Yang, leaving the bottom bed to Ruby and Weiss.

After allowing Blake and Yang to climb up, Weiss slid into the bottom bed and under the blanket. She occupied the left side, nonchalantly leaving half of it to Ruby.

However, under her calm exterior, Weiss grew a little nervous at the thought of sharing a bed with Ruby. Lately she found that there were many things that she just wanted to tell her leader upfront, about how grateful she was to Ruby for being so caring towards her and trying her best, but some kind of edginess left Weiss without the words to express herself.

Pushing these ideas to the back of her mind for now, Weiss silently immersed herself in her thoughts as she anxiously awaited Ruby’s approach. If she was waiting for an invitation, she wasn’t getting one, because this Schnee was _not_ going to sleep on the floor.

Standing a small number of steps from the bed, Ruby waited a few moments for Weiss to signal her approval, but none came. She sheepishly muttered, "So uh, Weiss, do you want me to sleep on the flo-"

And, this Schnee wouldn't let Ruby either. With a sigh, "Come on Ruby." She hadn't left half of the bed open for no reason. Ruby clambered in clumsily and awkwardly but eventually got settled, her back to Weiss'.

Silence weighed down on them in the night, occasionally broken by the sparse and hushed whispers of the two above them. Seconds felt like minutes that dragged into taciturn hours. Ruby wanted to say something, talk to her, but as time went on, she could feel the silence. It was solidifying under her thoughts, and paralyzing. After a great deal of encouraging herself and mustering up the nerve to apologize, Ruby finally dispelled the stillness between her and Weiss.

Ruby huddled her legs up to her chest, her voice softly tiptoeing through the quiet dark, being careful not to trip over any of Weiss' delicate and obscure boundaries.

"Weiss, thanks for letting me sleep in here with you. It's my fault this is happening in the first place." Ruby shrugged a bit more of the blanket to her.

Weiss recognized that rare, solemn voice of Ruby’s. She knew that Ruby clearly felt pretty bad about this entire fiasco, and lately Weiss had known that feeling all too well. This entire bed-destroying and bed-sharing situation wasn't really Ruby’s fault though...

"It's alright Ruby. I think this is a good... bonding exercise for us all."

All Weiss heard was the other girl sigh behind her.

Ruby was so hard on herself. She was trying her best, and truly was doing a great job. She deserved some kind of consolation other than the occasional 'dunce' or 'dolt,' but Weiss just couldn’t find the words to show it, and it left her feeling contrite. Although...

Maybe words aren’t always necessary to have a diplomatic chat. With a sigh, Weiss knew what she was about to do might seem a bit unorthodox under the present circumstances, but she attempted to comfort her leader by placing her hand on Ruby’s own.

Ruby shook at her touch, surprised. She had been caught off-guard before, in classes, in combat, but she had never quite felt this exposed.

Weiss didn’t turn or say anything. Her thin fingers wrapped around Ruby's own were cold, but also... inviting, a trait that one doesn't exactly attribute to Weiss very often.

"Now go to sleep Ruby."

All Ruby could mutter was a thank you. An uncomfortable, nerve-wracking feeling sapped her vocabulary away.

This sudden embrace of Weiss’ brought even more conflict upon Ruby. She just wanted to stop screwing up in front of Weiss, and quickly added learning to control her blush to the list. How could a leader be so much of a hinderance?

‘ _Just look at Yang, or Pyrrha, two super-strong people, who are way more than capable of holding their own. And what do I do, almost crush my partner with my bed?_ ’ How could Ruby compare? How could anyone on her team, much less Weiss, appreciate her? ‘ _I’m slowing them down more than leading them ahead…_ ’

She forced her eyes back open with a yawn.

Sleep was calling Ruby out of her thoughts, and hastily began to take over. Drowsy eyes cut off her self-loathing and immersed her in numbness, as she drifted into sleep and further into a dream.

A few minutes later, she was outside of an colossal castle created entirely of sugary sweets. The graham cracker drawbridge in front of her was lowered by the gummy bear guards, and Ruby crossed the maple syrup moat below her. She heard marshmallogators and cookiediles snapping their jaws at her before retreating back into the viscous depths after she entered the castle. She gleefully strolled inside, salivating in awe at all the potential heart attacks just begging to be eaten.

Ruby followed the red licorice carpet through a few corridors and opened the door to the throne room to bargain with Princess Cookie. Ruby pushed the heavy doors open proudly marched in with a deal planned out in her head. She courteously kneeled, and lifted her head to greet the princess with an offer she simply couldn’t refuse.

But that offer was quickly blown out of the water. Ruby was not expecting this.

\-----

"So, uh... Any particular reason why you wanted to share a bed with me?" Yang had propped herself up on her elbow, curious.

Without looking at her, Blake pointed a finger down to the bunk below them and plainly answered, "I thought it would do those two some good." She was currently working through a lot of calculations in her head regarding the relationships between the members of RWBY, which illogically took priority over making a good impression on the one beside her.

Yang rolled her hand, asking her to elaborate. "Annnd what do you mean by that?"

Another dry response. "I feel like they’re both rubbing off on each other in a bad way. I'm thinking that them being close will remedy that.”

"Ohoho, playing love doctor are we? You should know better than to meddle in others' relationships."

Blake scoffed, "That's something you commonly seem to practice."

Yang arched an eyebrow with a wink and a smile. "Well, you seem to have taken the lead tonight, not that I mind.”

Oh, how Blake wanted to erase and at the same time embrace that devilish grin of hers. Yang continued with her banter, “I didn't know you had a sassy side, _clawing_ out at me like that. Huh? Clawing?" Yang’s smile somehow grew wider as she pointed two hand pistols at Blake.

The Faunus extended her claws to show her disapproval. No matter how funny they were, puns were the bane of her existence. The lowest form of comedy and yet somehow the most humorous.

“Aww, come on Blake. You know I wouldn’t disrespect you like that.” Yang made a mental note to watch what she says a bit more around Blake, even at the cost of a pun: the highest form of comedy, no less! But Yang found Blake’s company to be well worth the sacrifice.

Yang held her hands up to show that she had put her verbal weapons away. "Don't get all worked up, I was starting to think that something was up between those two as well."

”I would’ve thought you’d have done something by now.”

Yang frowned in jest, feigning innocence. “And why is that? Are you _implying_ something?”

She was answered with a chuckle. “Nothing at all, it just, seems like the thing you do. You just barge in to help those you care about, whether they ask for it or not.”

“And I'd do it for you.” Yang’s grin was replaced with a calm, earnest stare.

There was a momentary pause between the two, in which Blake silently inhaled. Her breath unexpectedly hitched when Yang made that statement, and was further alarmed when she felt heat slowly creeping into her cheeks. Blake suddenly felt secure, a comfort she hadn't enjoyed in a long, long time. She had always known solitude and independence, living trapped within boundaries and mocked from the outside, so was this what it felt like when someone had your back? When someone cared about you?

Yang kept the ball rolling though, pulling Blake out of her frenzied cogitation for now. "Well, what about you? You don't seem to care that much, or at least you didn't, before the whole 'oh hey we're a team now' thing."

Blake paused, carefully building her response. "I don't cooperate very well with others is all."

Yang released a small outburst of disappointment. "Aww, come on now, I thought I was doing a decent job here!"

Blake delivered a reassuring smile and reminded Yang to be quiet with a hushed whisper. "I will say that you've been great so far."

With a wince Yang lowered her voice. "Phew! I figured quiet ol' you thought I was the most obnoxious person in the history of ever."

"Hmm." Blake closed her eyes and nestled her head into her pillow, ready to abandon the tension.

Yang leaned forward with a grin. "Excuse me? Are you _implying_ something?"

Blake smiled and pulled the covers farther up over her. "Nothing at all."

\-----

Ruby woke up to a blinding display of white.

Weiss' hair was plastered all over her face, with tiny but intense rays of sun slipping through. She had woken up from her dream when she had realized that Princess Cookie was in another castle, and had been replaced with a different one altogether.

After removing the silky obstruction of hair and scrambling to close the curtains, she turned to face Weiss again, though the girl’s back was turned.

With Ruby’s morning grogginess fading away, she now felt something strange, both warm and cold and quite unexpected. Weiss' hand was still resting on Ruby’s, who blushed on the spot. Though her very first and panicked thought was to shake their hands apart and hide in the corner under her cape, Ruby couldn't find any good reason to want to move her hand, and daringly clutched it just a bit tighter.

It felt as if she had just met a relative that she couldn’t remember from her childhood. Having her hand in Weiss’ felt very natural, like it belonged there, and almost familiar. In spite of this, having done it for the first time was quite unsettling to the bashful teen. Very unsettling, just like Weiss' behavior in the past week or so.

Again, she had been acting strangely lately.

Though it was radically different than their stumbling steps when they had first become a team, it still ended with the same effect. She was trying to be friendlier to Ruby, while also trying to avoid her through hostility. Ruby didn't quite know what to make of it, but decided she shouldn't interfere, as she could only make it worse.

She _did_ greatly appreciate her friendship though, which was something Weiss didn't seem to understand, much less accept. Ruby had never had a real friend before. All she had beside her through her life was Yang, and no one else. Ruby never really wanted or needed anyone else, but even as she naturally drifted away from others she felt this magnetizing desire to bond with Weiss. No matter how temperamental, Weiss was there to help Ruby, to teach her, to study with her, to talk with her. To be a friend with her.

But what could she do? Maybe she _should_ interfere. Ruby had already churned the waters, but did she dare to rock the boat?

Yep, she was interfering. She decided right then and there that her and Weiss would have a little chat pretty soon, determined to help Weiss unravel whatever complicated feelings she might be dealing with. Ruby was about to return to sleep rather than dwell on it when Weiss moved, unraveling herself from the blanket. She groaned as she sat up, and turned her head over to check on Ruby, who looked up at her.

"Hi Weiss."

"Hi Ruby."

The heiress yawned, and was moving to stretch her arms to wake her up. She was puzzled when one arm rose up and the other never met it, but quickly blushed when she realized she had never let go of Ruby's hand. She then came to the realization that if Ruby was awake, she hadn't moved her hand in the first place.

She turned to face Ruby to accuse her of, of something, but she was resting again with a pink blush on her cheeks.

Ruby had successfully made a diplomatic bargain with the new princess in the sugary castle. She wondered, worried, if she could pull it off again in her dorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had the hardest darned time writing this one compared to the others. I must've trashed enough writing to fill another chapter. *cringe*
> 
> And again, thanks for reading, everyone who cares! Commenting is greatly appreciated and as always, any constructive criticism you might have is great.
> 
> WILL ANYTHING ACTUALLY BECOME OF THIS POOR WRITING? WILL WHITE ROSE/BUMBLEBEE FINALLY HAPPEN IN MY NOT-SO-GREAT FANFIC? WILL THE FANS, IF ANY, BE PLEASED? FIND OUT, IN THE NEXT CHAPTER OF MY TERRIBLY-TITLED SERIES!


End file.
